Sigh... I am gonna die aren't I? Probably because I sneaked after her, and then save her at the last minute and hold off the demons while she seals me in to save the paladins.
WAAAHHHHH!!:smallfrown:
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Sigh... I am gonna die aren't I? Probably because I sneaked after her, and then save her at the last minute and hold off the demons while she seals me in to save the paladins.
WAAAHHHHH!!:smallfrown:
Maybe you'll come back as a cyborg? With laser eyes!!!!
But I don't wanna be a cyborg! Then I'd be like Magtok!:smalleek::smalleek::smallfrown::smallfrown :
No, Blue! Resist, resist, resist the corrupting call of hatred! (+4 to saving throws)
Paladin Academy: Part 28
-Cast-
Mangosta
SpoilerViola arrived in front of the ruins slightly out of breath. The ruins were quite overgrown, but that didn't surprise her. She had to travel through the forest in order to get there. However, she was surprised on how sinister the ruins were. Even though the walls were weathered and the statues were missing missing limbs, the place still made a shiver run down Viola's spine. She took out the potion and drank just a sip, feeling the energy flow through her body. She then took a deep breath and slowly stepped inside.
Rubble and debris littered the floor as she stepped cautiously in. After a short while, she found the hallways too dark to continue forward. She took a second to get out her crystal to provide a source of light and continued forward. As she rounded a corner, she found the remains of several human skeletons that were many years old. Suddenly, movement ran right across her foot and Viola jumped with a startled gasp, and then gave a silent moan. If anything that could have made this place worse was the discovery of rats living in the ruins. Viola glared as the long bald tail disappeared into a crack of the wall before she continued her advance. After a while, she started to wonder how deep the ruins would go.
Finally, she saw a faint red glow coming from around another corner up ahead. She quietly sneaked up to it and peeked around. At the end of the hallway was a room. Inside, she could see a rift with a shifting, chaotic swirl of red moving within it. She knew instantly that this had to be the portal that would lead her into the demonic realm. She took out the circular device and checked on it. It registered that about an hour had passed. She put it back in its hidden compartment and stepped forward toward the portal. She then reached into the compartment again and pulled out one of the tags. She looked around and found a flat slab of stone where she laid it down upon. Then she grabbed a small rock and placed it on top to anchor it down.
She looked back at the portal and approached it. Hesitantly, she reached out her hand and touched it with the tip of her finger. A small ripple appeared in the portal like a pond before returning to it's original state. She breathed in deep, held her breath, and then plunged into the portal. She felt as if she were flying, yet falling down a tunnel of a mass of different colors. The speed that she was moving was exhilarating. Then, just as soon as it had begun, it had stopped, and Viola was thrown out of the other side, falling onto the ground. She got up and looked around.
It looked like a massive cave of lava. The rocks were red and gave off heat of their own. Stalactites and stalagmites were easily the most common feature. In the distance, the sound of raging fire and screams of agony were faintly heard. Viola quickly dug out her other tag and then placed it five feet in front of the portal. At once, the tag flattened itself with the ground and the runes upon it began to glow bright blue. Viola assumed that it was working and looked around.
She had expected some demons to be guarding the portal, yet there was nothing in sight. There were however many chamber openings carved within the rock all around that she could chose from. Just then, in the distance, she saw a beam of red light shining straight up. She assumed that that was where the magic device was. She picked a chamber that looked like it was heading towards that direction and walked down it. As she walked, she strained her crystal's ability to as far as it would go to detect any sound.
As the tunnel reached another hallway, she saw faint vibrations come down it. She flattened herself against the wall and saw the vibrations become louder and louder as something approached. She then heard the footsteps of something heavy walking down the hallway as well as the yapping voice of something else. An eight foot tall demon then walked right by Viola, with a small creature hovering around its head. The creature had short wings and was yapping in an annoying high pitched tone at the demon. Viola heard the creature say it was going to tell Mangosta that the demon was not following orders when the demon suddenly lunged for the imp and slashed it with its long, sharp claws. The small creature burst into flames and then dropped to the floor as a pile of ash. The huge demon muttered angrily about stupid annoying imps, and then continued on down the hallway, away from Viola.
Viola had realized at this time that she was holding her breath and cautious exhaled. Her entire body was shivering at what she had just seen and she was still trying to grasp the fact that she had not been noticed. After a few minutes, she finally regained herself and continued down the hallways. She walked for many minutes before she emerged onto a balcony. She examined the balcony and found other doors that connected to it along the wall. On the left, it opened out to a great chamber down below. Several pillars were connecting the balcony to the roof so Viola crouched behind one of them and looked down into the great chamber. The room looked like it was a throne room, complete with a giant stone chair raised to overlook the entire room. But before she could examine it further, she saw ground tremor vibrations sweep across the floor, coming from a large tunnel opening opposite from the chair.
Viola's insides suddenly turned to ice. A monstrous eighteen foot demon emerged from the tunnel, accompanied by several other demon's of various sizes, all were over seven feet tall. The monstrous demon had two sharp horns that that curved over it's skull, as well as two large leathery wings. It's claws were long and sharp as well as its teeth that were razor sharp and jutted out from its mouth. A large, fiery crown floated above it's head, perfectly nestled between it's horns. The demon flared its nostrils as it entered, but otherwise continued with it's speech.
"-will be killed. We are really close to the hour at hand and I do not want any slackers."
The creature then turned and sat down on it's stone chair, looking at the demons that followed it. One of the smaller demons started to object, but the creature cut it off.
"I don't care. We are nearing the moment where we can rise up again. You know how hard it was to get an opportunity like this. Who knows how long before we get another chance like this? The gods are not going to remember about us on their own. They've proven that much already. So it's time to remind them that we're here. Now get out, all of you!"
The demons turned to leave, muttering "Yes Mangosta". When they all left the room, Viola's eyes turned onto the great form of the Demon King. The creature was looking down at its hand with glowing red eyes.
"Soon... Soon we shall rise up again. The gods will remember us and shake in fear. We shall show them that we are still their creations, not toys to be discarded when they're done with it."
It looked back out at the chamber.
"With the destruction of the gods current project, those so called 'Paladinis Crystals', the gods shall remember us for a long, long time."
It's eyes then turned up towards the pillar Viola was hiding behind.
"Isn't that right, Paladin?"
Ominous lair? Check. Evil speech that summarises his plans and gives insight into his motivations? Check. One ups the protagonist in an incredibly badass manner? Double check!
A text book villain intro. :smallbiggrin:
An amazing intro for our villain. Great work.:smallcool:
I really want to see the next part, now...
=3
What an interesting intro.
What will that bastard (<3!) do to Viola, I wonder?
Huh... and here I was thinking that mangosta was Lawful Evil... well, I was wrong.
Blue, we both know Mangosta wouldn't be able to corrupt her. Have faith in your own abilities to protect her. Evil has nothing on you.:smallwink:
Chaotic evil, but not in the stupid, reckless way. I do have a bit of "lawful" in my approach (in that I'll plan and make sure I can get away before doing something horrible), but my outlook is pure chaos.
A fair fight? That implies a decent chance of losing. Not interested. But there's nothing wrong with letting an opponent think I'm going to face him in a fair fight right up until a poisoned dagger sinks into his back.
A lot of people subscribe to the view that, as long as she's alive, she can repent, be redeemed, and ultimately become a greater power for good. Death is so final. There are no more possibilities for anyone at that point.
We try because corrupting the good is fun and amusing. As to the nature of our attempts, well... We can use something that you'll just shrug off and ignore, or something that at least provokes a response. It may not be fair, but...Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Ghost
Oh, right, I keep forgetting that Recaiden is a villain in this story. And you, Mangosta, have earned my eternal enmity.
Because people corrupted, or even struggling with doubts, will not be standing in my way. We can never change anything with you paladins standing in our way.
I beg to differ.
(Whispers)
Give me the word, and I'll cast Epic Hugs*, Greater Fox's Cunning**, and As The Wind*** on you, and enchant several items to aid you.
*+half Caster level to all stats, rolls and abilities, due to a feeling of warmth and being loved deep within you.
**+Caster Level to Intelligence.
*** May make up to four move actions in a turn, or two move,two standard actions, or two full round actions.
Viola is my friend too. :smallmad:
...and I forgot to comment on the chapter.
I agree: A PERFECT villains speech. I like that he waited for everyone to go first... implies that either he wants the fun of killing her, (Worrying), or he doesn't want anyone else to kill her, implying he WANTS her there, impying JUST. AS. PLANNED.
Either way, BAD. :smalleek:
See, Lix, I figured you'd be more excited. Grim can come back, you can go with him, and Viola can greet you at the door. Everyone wins!
Cool demon king intro niiiiice! :smallamused:
On the borderline between CG and CN is still more good than Mangosta. :smallwink:
Also... can I sig you saying that? XD